


Chasing a Translation

by lunaseemoony



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Gallifreyan, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-10
Updated: 2015-11-10
Packaged: 2018-04-30 22:23:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5181860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunaseemoony/pseuds/lunaseemoony
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Doctor discovers Rose has been keeping something of his in her room. Something vitally important. Only she doesn't realize just how much so until the TARDIS's translation circuits come back on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chasing a Translation

**Author's Note:**

> For [timepetalsprompts](http://timepetalsprompts.tumblr.com)' Ficlet Friday prompt: _an unexpected lesson in Gallifreyan_.

“Where did you get that?” 

That tongue touched smile was going to make him regenerate again, he just knew it. It’d be the death of him. He ought to have rules posted on the TARDIS. No cheeky smiles during interrogations. Not at all allowed, especially when his companion had stolen something from him. It didn’t matter that he hadn’t expressly established what was privately his. It didn’t matter that it had technically been on display. He’d been exposed. And while he was at it he ought to add no teasing and no running away from Time Lords to the list of rules. He could outrun her, easy. But why should he  _want_ to when she was giggling in the most insufferably adorable way, waving her prize in the air like a victory flag? If he’d had those rules he wouldn’t be in this dilemma. If he’d had those rules, Rose Tyler wouldn’t bother following them, who was he fooling? 

“Oi! Give me that!” 

Rose tore out of her bedroom, in her pink jim jams no less, and gallivanted down the corridor with her stolen artifact. “Fat chance!” she yelled before jamming her fist on a button lowering a block in the hallway. 

Why on Gallifrey did he have the bloody things? Useless. Not only useless, infuriating. He made a mental note of uninstalling the stupid things the next time he got the chance. Definitely in Rose’s hall that was for sure. He would have loved to give her a lecture on thievery (on his stolen TARDIS) as he chased after her. But his path was now blocked. So he made his way around, quick as a bunny, in an attempt at cutting her off. But the moment Rose caught sight of him she pressed another button with that same precious cackle as she thwarted him for the second time. If she wasn’t so bloody cute about it. 

“I’m blaming  _you_ for this, you know,” the Doctor grunted at the coral walls as he stumbled down a staircase and made his way through a thin alley. “I know what you did there with the translation circuit. Sneaky minx, you,” he huffed. “Think I don’t have enough trouble in my life?” 

The TARDIS’s reply was cheekier than Rose’s teasing, a high-pitched chime and rumble. He wouldn’t be convinced the pair of them weren’t in cahoots after this, going around stealing his vitally important sticky notes and sneakily translating them for a precious human’s prying eyes. Okay, this particular precious human. Not that there were any others. Fine,  _his_  precious human. There. 

“You’ll thank me later? Is that what you just said? You’re serious?” the Doctor growled at his TARDIS just before he caught sight of a pair of pink shorts. (Only ‘shorts’ wasn’t the word that came to mind). “Haha!” He cheered. “This is a dead end! You’ll have to surrender, Rose Tyler!” 

She paused to catch her breath and looked around. “No! I swear this one goes to the -” 

He pounced on her before she could call him on his bluff. Two heartbeats and four nearly tangled limbs later, he had her pinned to the wall. The thrill of the chase had him devouring the sight of her, a bunny caught in a trap, complete with a wildly thumping heart, a heaving chest, and a pink face. Though the run did little more to him than a brisk walk would for her, he only then noticed the low cut of her spaghetti strap top. Couple that with her wide doe eyes and sweeping her tongue across her lips before trapping one between her teeth, and she had him a bit dizzy. Not that he’d let it show. 

He quirked an eyebrow and grinned, swallowing a growl. “You were saying?” 

Except he’d neglected one tiny detail. Rose didn’t back down when cornered. 

“What’s the big deal, hm Doctor? So it says my name on it. I’m sure there’s other stuff you write down loads of times, all over the console room, yeah?” A little smile peaked through as she tucked a few wild wisps behind her ear. Rassilon, if she wasn’t so bloody cute about it. 

He froze.  _That minx._ Oh, the TARDIS was in for it. See if he’d make those upgrades he promised. Just let her wait and see. He was  _really_  on to her now. “You didn’t… that’s not what it says, Rose.”

Rose pushed herself off the coral wall and pushed at his chest, wicked grin returning full force. “You’re blushing.”

“Am not.” He shook his head and put his lips in a doubtful pout. All the same she had him backing up. 

“You are! You’re  _blushing_!” She backed him into the opposite wall and hummed proudly. The rabbit caught the panther. “Think I know what it _really_  says.”

That little hum of hers washed away his cocky facade. And yes, he probably was blushing. Fiercely. He gasped when she took his hand. “Then why did you run?” 

Her voice softened as she caught her breath and brushed her thumb along the back of his hand.  _Home_ , he thought as he squeezed her hand. Home was so warm, so soothing. She brought up the sticky note in her other hand. “I’ve had this going on a year now, on my bedside table. It’s always been precious to me, your beautiful alien handwriting. And this one’s been repeated all over the place, so I thought it was important. It’s precious to me. Written in your old hand, before you changed. I didn’t want to give it up. I didn’t know what it meant until today. Just a flicker when the translation circuits came back on.” 

He gulped as she leaned in, weighing down his hand for balance. Thank Rassilon her heart was racing too. “You know what it means?” 

“I do.” 

“Do you know?” he played. Thought he did. Probably sounded a bit more like a knackered frog.

That wicked grin of hers softened to the one that told him she  _loved_  traveling with him, and then again to that little smile that bid him goodnight after every adventure. She was whisper close, breathing life against his cheek before her lips met his ear. Relief.

“I love you too, Doctor.”


End file.
